July 15, 2012 3:07pm EDTJuly 13, 2012 4:56pm EDTTheir coach/offensive mastermind is suspended. The stain of Bountygate won't soon fade. But the Saints will have their superstar quarterback for a full training camp. That alone will keep them a viable title contender.

Don’t count the Saints out of next season’s Super Bowl conversation, now that Drew Brees has more money to count.

This has been an awful offseason for the Saints, with the bounty scandal and its aftermath forcing them to take one hit after another. But things changed Friday, with Brees and the Saints finally agreeing to a five-year, $100 million contract.

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Don’t worry about how long it took to get this deal done. That no longer matters.

Here’s what matters. Brees will be in training camp from the start. The Saints still have as much offensive talent as any team in the NFL. The Mercedes Superdome will be rocking for every home game, where the Saints were undefeated last season, and will remain difficult for any visiting team to handle.

Another storybook season is possible for the Saints, who could become the first team ever to play a Super Bowl at home when Super Bowl XLVII comes to New Orleans next February. Anyone who thinks the bounty scandal has ruined the Saints for 2012 isn’t giving Brees enough respect. This guy has been an underdog his entire life, an undersized quarterback with oversized determination. Many NFL personnel people never expected Brees to become a great quarterback when he entered the league. Even fewer thought he would a superstar after he tore the labrum in his throwing shoulder in 2005.

But once Brees left the Chargers as a free agent and joined the Saints in 2006, his career went to another level, and he took the Saints’ franchise with him. The Saints’ victory over the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV following the 2009 season was like watching a movie—a city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina getting a chance to celebrate its first NFL championship.

Now Brees and the Saints face another daunting challenge following their bounty scandal. Their head coach, Sean Payton has been suspended for the season, as has their defensive leader, linebacker Jonathan Vilma. Even interim coach Joe Vitt will have to deal with a suspension (six games), as well as general manager Mickey Loomis (eight games).

More than ever before, the Saints will be Brees’ team. But he can handle it. The Saints led the NFL in total offense and passing offense last season. Brees set single-season records for passing yards (5,476) and completion percentage (71.2).

Yes the Saints will miss Payton’s play calling and leadership. Yes they will miss guard Carl Nicks, who signed with the Buccaneers in free agency.

However, most of the Saints’ offensive machine returns intact. Like Peyton Manning, like Tom Brady, Brees is virtually a coach on the field. He has the liberty to check out of any play, at any time, to improvise however he sees fit. When Brees enters the huddle on Day 1 of training camp July 24, nobody will be able to tell he missed organized team activities and minicamp. He will be in complete command like always, and that will carry over into the regular season.

Whoever makes it out of the NFC will have to earn it. There is plenty of quality at the top, starting with the last two Super Bowl champions (New York Giants and Green Bay Packers) and the San Francisco 49ers. Just winning the NFC South will be difficult for the Saints, but they are the team to beat until someone proves otherwise.

The Atlanta Falcons are a talented team, but they are also 0-3 in the postseason under Mike Smith—and the Saints beat the Falcons twice last season. When the Saints and Falcons meet in a big spot, it’s still hard to pick against the Saints.

The Carolina Panthers are a team on the rise with Cam Newton at quarterback. But it’s a big jump for them to win the division in Newton’s second season.

The Buccaneers look re-energized under new coach Greg Schiano, but they lost their final 10 games last season, and don’t match up in terms of talent with the Saints or Falcons.

The Saints and the Packers are the only two NFC teams that made the playoffs each of the past three seasons. Great quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Brees make it much easier to be consistent. In reality, the Saints were not that far from getting to the Super Bowl last season. They lost a terrific playoff game on the road against the 49ers. Had the Saints gotten past that game and had the opportunity to face the Giants at home in the NFC championship game, maybe Brees would have been on the way to getting a second Super Bowl ring.

We’ll never know. But we finally know that Brees has re-signed with the Saints. That makes them dangerous. Overcoming the bounty scandal and this summer’s turmoil will not be easy, but Brees gives the Saints a fighting chance. Don’t just worry about the Saints. Worry about the opposing defenses that will try to stop them.